Yemen Shiite fighters say withdrawal from Saudi soil completed

Published January 26th, 2010 - 16:47 GMT

Yemeni Shiite fighters said on Tuesday they had withdrawn completely from the Saudi territory as part of their truce offer.

Yemeni Shiite fighters said on Tuesday they had withdrawn completely from the Saudi territory as part of their truce offer. However, Yemeni tribal sources alongside the Yemeni government denied the rebels had withdrawn, Reuters reported.

On Monday, the leader of the Houthi fighters offered a ceasefire to Saudi Arabia, adding his fighters would withdraw from the kingdom's border areas to avoid more civilian casualties. The Houthis said Saudi air strikes had killed five people and wounded two on Monday evening.

On his part, Saudi defense ministry spokesman General Ibrahim al-Malek said the kingdom was mulling the offer: "The truce offer is being examined and we will make an official decision later today."

Meanwhile, Saudi authorities have begun releasing of 200 Yemeni prisoners and deporting them to their home after the Saudi Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz exempted them. These prisoners were jailed on charges of various crimes, including trafficking across the joint borders.